Telephone-directory holder.



(" 0 Model.)

Patented Jan. 29,4901. l. S. HOFFMA NN.

TELEPHONE DIRECTORY HOLDER.

(Application filed Sept. 26, 1900.)

STATES UNITE.

IRVING S. HO-FFMANN,

Farnn'r FFIQE.

OF MANSFIELD, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666.:74, dated January29, 1901.

Application filed September 26, 1900. Serial No. 31,201. (No model.)

To alZ whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, IRVING S. HOFFMANN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Telephone-Directory Holder, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in telephone-directory holders.

One object of the present invention is to provide a simple andinexpensive device adapted to be readily secured to a wall orothersuitable support adjacent to a telephone and adapted to hold atelephone-directory in convenient position for inspection and capable ofenabling the same to be readily removed from it for changing thedirectory.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterwhich will cause the telephone-directory to lie normally against thewall or other support and which will permit the directory to be readilytaken down for use.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a telephone-directory holder constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2is a vertical sectional view of the same, the tubular clamp for engagingthe back of the directory being arranged in alinement with the bracketfor convenience of illustration. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view,the parts being arranged as shown in Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference designate correspon ding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates a bracket designed to be secured to a Wall and consistingof a vertical body portion 2 and upper and lower arms 3 and 4, providedwith vertical pivots or journals5and 6, extending upward from the armsand receiving upper and lower ears 7 and 8 of an upright tubular clamp9. The bracket is preferably constructed of a single piece of metal, andthe vertical body portion is provided at intervals with countersunkperforations for the reception of screws or other suitable fasteningdevices for securing the bracket to the wall or other suitable supportadjacent to a telephone. The upper arm is shorter than the lower arm tooffset the pivot 6 of the latter outward beyond the plane of the pivotof the upper arm 3 to cant the tubular clamp 9 to cause the same and thetelephone-directory held by it to swing against the wall or othersupport and lie normally in such position. The clamp 9 consists of atube split longitudinally to provide a pair of longitudinal clampingedges 10 for engaging the telephone-directory at the back thereof, andthe upper and lower ears 7 and 8, which are perforated to receive thepivots 5 and 6, are arranged at right angles to the tubular clamp. Thesides of the tubular clamp are spread slightly when atelephone-directory or other book is inserted between them, and theresiliency of the metal causes the sides of the clamp to firmly engagesuch book.

A telephone directory may be readily placed in the tubular clamp, andthe latter is adapted to be readily placed on and removed from thebracket, and the telephone-directory may be inspected while it issupported by the bracket, or it may be taken down.

The upper and lower ends 11 of the longitudinal edges of the tubularclamp are beveled, as shown, to provide a flaring mouth or entrance ateach end of the tubular clamp to facilitate the introduction of thedirectory which is engaged with the clamp by sliding the latter endwiseon its back.

It will be seen that the telephone-directory holder is exceedinglysimple and inexpensive in construction, that it is adapted to readilyreceive a telephone-directory, that it will permit the same to beinspected without removing it from the bracket, and that it may bequickly taken down when desired. It will also be apparent that thearrangement of the pivots of the upper and lower arms will cause thetelephone-directory tolie practically flat against the wall or othersupport when it is not in use.

What is claimed is 1. A device of the class described comprising abracket provided with upper and lower pivots and a tubular clampprovided with upper and lower ears having openings to receive thepivots, substantially as described.

2. A device of the class described comprising a bracket, an uprightclamp pivoted to the bracket at the top and bottom thereof and adaptedto receive a telephone-directory or other book, one of the pivots of theclamp being offset from the plane of the other, whereby thetelephone-directory or other book will be caused to lie normally againstthe wall or other support, substantially as described.

3. A device of the class described comprising a bracket having upper andlower pivots, the lower pivot being offset outward from the plane of theupper pivot, and a clamp provided with upper and lower ears arranged onthe pivots and supporting the clamp in an inclined position,substantially as and for the purpose described.

